Press the key.. O- to growl r-to growl a-to growl n-to growl g-GROWL e-growl again ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sinosauropteryx prima is a species of the extinct genus Sinosauropteryx ("Chinese winged lizard"), a feathered compsognathid theropod dinosaur that lived during the Middle Cretaceous period, approximately 120 million years ago, in the Aptian age, in what is now Asia. It inhabited China during the Early Cretaceous and was probably a close relative of Compsognathus. It was the first dinosaur genus found in the Jehol Biota in Liaoning Province. Described in 1996, it was the first dinosaur taxon outside of Avialae (birds and their immediate relatives) to be found with evidence of feathers. The extremely well-preserved fossil shows that Sinosauropteryx was covered with a layer of very simple feathers, although some controversy has presented an alternative interpretation of the filamentous impression as collagen fibers, but this has not been widely accepted. These filaments consisted of a simple, two-branched structure, very similar to the primitive secondary feathers of the modern kiwi. Structures indicating coloration have also been preserved on some of its feathers, making Sinosauropteryx the first non-avian dinosaur for which coloration has been determined. The coloration included a reddish tail with light bands. Sinosauropteryx was a small theropod with an unusually long tail and short arms. The longest known specimen reached up to 1.07 meters in length, with an estimated weight of 0.55 kilograms. It was a close relative of the similar but older genus Compsognathus, both genera belonging to the family Compsognathidae. Two species have been named, and Sinosauropteryx, S. prima, meaning "first," refers to its status as the first non-avian feathered dinosaur species discovered. Three specimens have been described. The third specimen previously assigned to this genus represents either a second, as-yet-unnamed species or a distinct, related genus. Sinosauropteryx lived in what is now northeastern China during the Early Cretaceous period. It was one of the first dinosaurs discovered in the Yixian Formation of Liaoning Province and was a member of the Jehol Biota. The well-preserved fossils of this species illustrate many aspects of its biology, including its diet and reproduction.
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